Back to Tang Dynasty

On 9-9-2009, Chinese documentary Da Ming Palace premiered in the UN headquarters in New York, transporting audiences to the flourishing Tang Dynasty more than a thousand years ago.

Tang Dynasty is one of the most (probably THE most) prosperous and influential dynasty and enjoys a “significant and unique status” in Chinese history. “China at that time was a remarkably open society with unprecedented frequent and extensive exchanges and interactions with the rest of the world,” Ambassador Liu Zhenmin said.

Located in the northern part of Xi’an city, the capital of Tang Dynasty, Da Ming Palace is the most splendid architectural complex of the Tang Dynasty. It was the largest palace complex in the world, 4 times of the Forbidden City.

Daming Palace: An epic documentary with stunning visual effect

Daming Palace the documentary movie is directed by Jin Tiemu, who also directed the movie Yuan-ming Yuan. The movie tells the story behind the Daming Palace during the Tang Dynasty. The director mixes 300 years of historical background, with juicy stories of life in the royal palace to create the documentary.

Director Jin Tiemu said he hoped that the movie could help the world to “know the true legend of Tang and find the ultimate spirit of Tang embedded within.”

The movie focused on reproducing the architecture of Daming Palace. The team spent lots of efforts in researching and reproducing the details of the splendid palace. 80% of its 3 million USD budget was spent on CG visual effect, which is carried out by the same team that also produced Lord of the Rings trilogy. Its visual effect looks so real and beautiful that many audience are asking where they filmed the movie and they want to visit.

Where to watch?

Sohu.com HD channel will soon provide free (and legal) high definition online steaming of the movie, probably within a few month. I will post an update when it’s available. It will soon be on the screen all over the world. You can check your local film clubs for information.

Here is the official trailer (10 min, in Chinese):

More Info about the movie

Official website (in Chinese): http://www.damingpalace.com

You can find stills, video trailers, the production of the movie, and detailed introduction to the Daming Palace: its scenic view, its people and their life style.

Official blog (in Chinese): http://blog.sina.com.cn/daminggong2008

Lots of research articles about Tang Dynasty, on which the movie is based. Some are identical from the official website. An album of stills can be found here.